Ottawa — September 2, 2025
Each September, World Suicide Prevention Month offers us space to reflect on what makes prevention possible: connection, compassion, and a shared sense of responsibility.
This year, the International Association for Suicide Prevention continues its multi-year campaign on Changing the Narrative on Suicide, a call not to only talk more openly about suicide, but also to talk differently. It challenges us to move beyond silence and stigma — and toward conversations rooted in trust, care, and courage.
My journey to the Mental Health Commission of Canada has been shaped by a strong belief that community is not just the setting for suicide prevention and life promotion — it’s part of the solution. In a previous professional life, one of my greatest privileges was visiting community organizations. I have a vivid memory of the morning I spent visiting a suicide prevention call centre in Montreal, whose mission is to prevent suicide and its impacts while ensuring access to quality services for people in suicidal distress. Witnessing the work of the organization’s staff left a deep impression on me. Observing their interactions — listening, comforting, guiding — shed light on how profoundly important this work is in our communities. That belief also lives in each community using the Roots of Hope model, which has grown into a nationwide network of more than 20 communities leading local, life-saving initiatives. Through collaboration and lived experience, they’re strengthening mental health supports in ways that reflect their own strengths, realities, and relationships — reminding us that meaningful change is possible when we lead with care and act collectively. In my first few months here, I’ve been energized by the voices and communities driving change from the ground up and I’m looking forward to building on this momentum in the months ahead.
If your community is taking steps to deepen its approach to suicide prevention or is looking to learn from others on the same path, Roots of Hope offers a flexible framework grounded in shared learning and local leadership. We invite you to connect with us if you want to explore how this model can support your efforts.
Changing the narrative also means helping more people feel prepared to have direct, compassionate conversations about suicide — and to understand the role they can play in prevention and support. That includes health-care professionals in any role or setting, from hospitals and clinics to community care and support services, who are often the first point of contact for someone in distress. It also includes each of us. Whether you’re a colleague, a friend, or a neighbour, having the skills and confidence to talk about suicide can save lives. Throughout September, we’ll be sharing different tools to help build that capacity across the mental health system and throughout our communities.
Starting this World Suicide Prevention Month, we’re inviting people across Canada to be part of the conversation and help shift the way we talk about suicide.
While suicide prevention can start with awareness, it is sustained by creating lasting change through community connection and in the everyday ways we show up for one another.
What gives me hope is knowing that even small acts of care — listening without judgment, creating a sense of belonging — can ripple outward and shape a culture where suicide prevention is possible.
Community isn’t about one leader or one voice, but how we move forward together with mutual support. This month, I hope you’ll help us carry that message forward by making space for safe, open conversations about suicide so that prevention is prioritized, and everyone feels supported to get the help that works for them.
Lili-Anna Pereša C.Q.
President & CEO
Mental Health Commission of Canada
